Build Homemade Tomato Cages

Tomatoes are the most popular home garden crop , so as the gardening season approaches, many gardeners are planning how best to support their tomatoes as they don their juicy fruits. Stakes or tomato cages help the plants grow vertically instead of horizontally, saving space in the garden while keeping the fruits off the ground to prevent rot.

Store-bought cages are often flimsy and fall over easily. For a sturdier — and often cheaper — option, consider building your own heavy duty tomato cages. You can use many different designs and materials to build your cages. Here are four plans that we think are especially good for creating sturdy, low-cost cages. Take a look and see which is the best fit for your garden!

I am unable to access the tomato cage instructions as noted on page 64 of the December 2010/January 2011 issue. Are they no longer available online? If not, are they provided in a previous issue of MotherEarthNews?
Best,
Sue Mrotek

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